[JetBlue Just Can’t Get Back On Track, Preemptively Cancels Over 100 Flights Tomorrow] Airline Operations Are Melting Down, Yet Again

Never Miss Another Deal - Follow DansDeals on Facebook

Update, 4/13: JetBlue has already cancelled over 100 flights for tomorrow, wreaking havoc with people’s Pesach plans as I warned may happen, as they continue their weeks-long operational incompetence. I stand by the headline I wrote last week about their proposed merger with Spirit…

JetBlue has cancelled all of their flights from JFK and Newark to Cancun and multiple flights from JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Grand Cayman, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Palm Springs, Punta Cana, Tampa, San Juan, Sarasota, S. Maarten, and West Palm Beach.

If your flight is affected, in addition to calling JetBlue, you can try sending them a DM on Twitter and chatting with them online or in app. Expect availability on alternate flights to fluctuate as people are reaccommodated. You can also book travel on another airline and receive a refund for your cancelled flight.

JetBlue plans to cut their summer schedule by 10% to create more system slack and avoid having to cancel as many flights.

Was your flight cancelled? What is your backup plan?

Update, 4/10: JetBlue and Spirit continue their weekend woes, with hundreds of cancelled flights.

Update, 4/4: While airlines have mostly recovered, Spirit and JetBlue continue their days-long meltdown.

• So far today:
  • Spirit cancelled 290 flights (35% of their schedule) and delayed 221 flights (26% of their schedule), meaning 61% of their flights have been affected.
  • JetBlue cancelled 142 flights (13% of their schedule) and delayed 485 flights (45% of their schedule), meaning 58% of their flights have been affected.

Originally posted on 4/3:

With passenger numbers that haven’t been seen since before the pandemic, airlines are finding themselves woefully ill-prepared for the influx. JetBlue, Spirit, and Southwest have been hit especially hard this weekend, though even Delta has hit some turbulence.

Airlines have little slack available due to shrinking their fleet and employee base during the pandemic, so small weather issues can wreak havoc throughout their system like never before.

Worse yet, trying to reach airlines can mean waiting on hold or in a line for hours. Your best bet may be messaging your airline via Twitter or in-app messaging.

But with most flights running nearly full, passengers on cancelled flights have been told that it will be days until they can get on an alternate flight.

With Pesach and Easter holiday travel over the next couple weeks and planes running even closer to capacity, further cancellations may ruin people’s plans for days on end. It’s always a good idea to travel a few days early when possible, in order to allow for contingency plans.

As always, pay for your tickets on credit cards that have generous trip delay and trip interruption insurance in order to cover out of pocket expenses during a delay. Those include cards such as Chase Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, AMEX Business Platinum Card and the AMEX Consumer Platinum card. 

• Here’s how things looked yesterday,
  • JetBlue cancelled 162 flights (15% of their schedule) and delayed 596 flights (57% of their schedule), meaning 72% of their flights have been affected.
  • Spirit cancelled 222 flights (27% of their schedule) and delayed 280 flights (34% of their schedule), meaning 61% of their flights have been affected.
  • Southwest cancelled 520 flights (14% of their schedule) and delayed 1,563 flights (44% of their schedule), meaning 58% of their flights have been affected.
  • Frontier cancelled 51 flights (10% of their schedule) and delayed 163 flights (33% of their schedule), meaning 43% of their flights have been affected.
  • American cancelled 364 flights (12% of their schedule) and delayed 632 flights (21% of their schedule), meaning 33% of their flights have been affected.
  • Delta cancelled 238 flights (8% of their schedule) and delayed 587 flights (22% of their schedule), meaning 30% of their flights have been affected.
  • United cancelled 53 flights (2% of their schedule) and delayed 529 flights (26% of their schedule), meaning 28% of their flights have been affected.
  • Alaska cancelled 79 flights (11% of their schedule) and delayed 114 flights (16% of their schedule), meaning 27% of their flights have been affected.

• Here’s how things look so far today,
  • JetBlue cancelled 373 flights (34% of their schedule) and delayed 458 flights (42% of their schedule), meaning 76% of their flights have been affected.
  • Spirit cancelled 308 flights (37% of their schedule) and delayed 243 flights (29% of their schedule), meaning 68% of their flights have been affected.
  • Southwest cancelled 400 flights (10% of their schedule) and delayed 1,459 flights (38% of their schedule), meaning 48% of their flights have been affected.
  • Frontier cancelled 85 flights (15% of their schedule) and delayed 181 flights (33% of their schedule), meaning 48% of their flights have been affected.
  • Alaska cancelled 66 flights (8% of their schedule) and delayed 148 flights (19% of their schedule), meaning 27% of their flights have been affected.
  • American cancelled 271 flights (8% of their schedule) and delayed 570 flights (18% of their schedule), meaning 26% of their flights have been affected.
  • Delta cancelled 41 flights (1% of their schedule) and delayed 637 flights (21% of their schedule), meaning 22% of their flights have been affected.
  • United cancelled 12 flights (<1% of their schedule) and delayed 334 flights (16% of their schedule), meaning 16% of their flights have been affected.

Have your travel plans been affected this weekend? Will you plan for extra contingency days for Pesach travel?